Alwaght- Bahraini king urged his Arab counterparts to end boycott of Israeli regime, Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.
The Israeli daily claimed Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah in a statement, at an event hosted by pro-Israeli group Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, " has denounced the Arab boycott of Israel and said his subjects are free to visit the Jewish state [Occupied Palestine]".
King Hamad's stance on Israeli regime was welcomed by the Israeli center's director who hailed the monarch as "ahead of the pack and smart."
"If I had to predict, I would tell you that the Arab world’s relationship with the state of Israel is going to dramatically change... This is a dinner tonight that’s hosted by a Jewish organization that no one will say is not so pro-Israel," Cooper added.
Cooper and his partner Marvin Hier met with King Hamed at the center and discussed the opening of a museum for religious tolerance in Bahrain's capital Manama towards the end of the year.
The change of stance comes weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described relations with the Arab world better than any other time.
“What’s happening now with the Arab bloc states has never before happened in our history – even when we signed agreements,” said Netanyahu. “What we have now is greater than anything else during any other period in Israel’s history."
Last week, reports emerged that a secret meeting was held between a leading Saudi royal and senior Israeli officials in Tel Aviv, and in June, leaked emails of the UAE's ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba's suggested that Abu Dhabi had established secret links with pro-Israel think-tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
Last year, a video of a ceremony to mark the Jewish Hanukkah holiday hosted by Bahrain circulated on social media, showing Bahraini men in local kaffiyeh attire attending the party and dancing with Orthodox Jews. The video prompted condemnation from the Palestinian movement Hamas that urged Bahrain to end the move towards normalizing ties with Israel.
